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Tag: Gopal Vittal

  • Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    MUMBAI: A recent report by Fitch which indicates a slow revenue growth in FY21 for telecom players might be bad news for Airtel, which is already losing market shares to Jio. But its home broadband business is gradually taking off. In the last quarter of FY 20, the telco operator added almost 60,000-65,000 net additions, one of the highest numbers it has seen in many quarters. Moreover, the lockdown has boosted the demand for home broadband.

    “We are excited about the home broadband opportunity. I think India is an underserved market and there is a very big opportunity to expand broadband on a structural basis. Having said that, I think what we have seen in the recent few weeks is a massive surge in latent demand and home broadband,” Bharti Airtel India and South Asia managing director and chief executive officer Gopal Vittal said in an earnings call.

    Vittal also spoke about an innovative model that it is experimenting with: collaborating with local cable operators to provide the last mile and using a digital model to access more cities and expand the scale of its broadband business. While the model has already been rolled out in 13 cities, he claims it has seen good traction reinforcing its trust on opportunities for broadband internal expansion.

    Talking about the strategy, Vittal added that they need to expand a lot more in top ten cities at first. Hence, there will be some step-up in capex directed to expanding Airtel’s broadband in these large cities. Airtel rolled out over 250,000 home parcels in the last quarter while total capex for the quarter stood at Rs 97 crore.

    “The second part is going beyond 10 cities or 50 cities. We got into smaller cities. For example, we have gone into Jammu, Dehradun, Bareilly, and Nasik. These are cities where we hadn't gone before and now have partnered with local cable operators and created an Uber-like model, which is entirely digital and gives them a share of revenue and this is actually working quite well,” Vittal said.

    “We are unleashing entrepreneurial energy of these cable operators, in managing the last mile for us, and at the same time, we have the Airtel brand, customer support, billing systems, technology and of course the purchase of routers and all of the other backend equipment coupled with the fact that we have fibre availability at the towers for which the backhaul is available. So I think we are using the best of both worlds to actually partner and expand,” he added further.

    According to TRAI data, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL (8.23 million), Bharti Airtel (2.43 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.54 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.92 million) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (0.84 million) as on 31 January, 2020.

    Bharti Airtel India and South Asia chief financial officer Badal Bagri said that affordability has been one of the key drivers which he terms war on waste. This ‘war on waste’ is not just about operating expenses but also about efficiency and capital expenditure. He also mentioned that Airtel’s cost of the rollout of home passes has substantially reduced over the last two-three years. Hence, he is of the view that the cost structures which it operates in are fairly affordable, enabling them for an aggressive bid in the sector.

  • Airtel digital TV revenue up 16.9% in Q4

    Airtel digital TV revenue up 16.9% in Q4

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel on Monday posted its fourth quarter results for the fourth quarter of financial year 2019-20. While revenue was up seven per cent at Rs 23,723 crore on a quarter-on-quarter basis, it has registered a consolidated loss of Rs 5,237 crore year-on-year. Mobile services revenue has increased 21.8 per cent YoY and 16 per cent quarter to quarter.

    Airtel's journey as a digital business continued strongly in Q4’20. The company has over 160 million Monthly Active Users across digital assets – Airtel Thanks, Wynk and X Stream. It has over 1.1 million retailers transacting and making payments every day on our Mitra App.

    Today over 60 per cent of its entire business goes through digital channels, and with share of AirtelThanks platform growing strongly to now become the second largest platforms for user payments online.

    Digital TV revenue witnessed strong growth of 16.9 per cent YoY on an underlying basis, on the back of strong customer additions.

    While overall customer base stood at 423 million across 16 countries, EBITDA stood at Rs 10,326 crore, up 51.7 per cent YoY.

    Voice usage per customer increased to 965 million against 898 million for the telecom service operator, showing an increase of 7.5 per cent quarter to quarter.

    The mobile ARPU in India business was at Rs 154 against Rs 135 QoQ, a growth of 14 per cent.

    The company had posted a profit of Rs 107.2 crore in the same period a year ago. It registered a consolidated revenue of Rs 23,722.7 crore during the reported quarter against Rs 20,602.2 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19.

    The company has undertaken a capex investment of Rs 25,359 crore on a consolidated basis during the year to ensure superior customer experience besides front ending some investment to ensure seamless services during the ongoing pandemic.

    Airtel Business witnessed a double digit revenue growth of 12.4 per cent YoY led by increased focus on connecting large enterprises, SMEs besides providing innovative solutions. Homes business continues to remain resilient and shows significant long-term promise in the wake of the new normal of work from home and social distancing established post the Covid2019 situation.

    Gopal Vittal, MD-CEO, India & South Asia, said: “These are unprecedented times for every one across the world as we battle the impact of Covid2019 and its consequent impact on livelihoods. Even in this difficult time, it is our investments in network technologies coupled with our culture of customer obsession that has allowed us to keep the nation connected and serve our customers. It is abundantly clear today that telecom has played an essential role in keeping the country going. We are therefore hopeful that the government will implement the recommendations of the TRAI and the intent of the New Telecom Policy and bring down the high levels of regulatory levies and taxes that the sector is subjected to. The quarter gone by saw healthy revenue growth of 14.4 per cent YoY with mobile business growing at 21.8 per cent. This was driven by two factors – sustained momentum of 4G customer additions of over 12.5 million coupled with improved tariffs. We continue to witness strong data traffic growth of 74.1 per cent YoY. Going forward we remain committed to delivering a best in class customer experience even as we leverage our platform to build new revenue streams.”

  • Airtel Digital TV revenue and profit up as Bharti Airtel reports record loss

    Airtel Digital TV revenue and profit up as Bharti Airtel reports record loss

    BENGALURU: Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel reported 17 percent y-o-y increase in revenue for its Digital TV Services for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Q2 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year-ago quarter Q2 2019. The company says that with the adoption of IndAS 116, effective 1 April 2019, the results and ratios of periods commencing 1 April  2019 are not comparable with previous periods.

    Further, pursuant to reporting changes in DTH effective April 1, 2019 (content cost becoming a Pass through expense) on comparable basis, the y-o-y revenue growth for the period ended 30 Sep 2019 is 17 percent (Quarter ended) and 16 percent (six months ended). EBITDA/ Total revenues is 43.3 percent for the quarter ended 30 Sep 2019 and 42.8 percent for the six months ended 30 Sep 2019 adjusting for the reporting changes.

    Without taking into accounting the adoption of IndAS 116, Airtel’s Digital Services revenue declined 22.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 789.3 crore in Q2 2020 from Rs 1,024.2 crore. Operating profit or EBIDTA for Airtel’s Digital TV Services increased 41.6 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 to Rs 560.7 crore from Rs 396 crore. EBIT for the period under review increased 70 percent y-o-y to Rs 3,243 crore from Rs 1,905 crore.

    The company reported 14.2 percent increase in capex for Q2 2020 at Rs 205.2 crore as compared to Rs 179.7 crore in Q2 2019.

    Digital TV Services subscription numbers

    Airtel Digital TV Services subscribers increased 9.7 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 to 1.62 crore from 1.48 crore in Q2 2019. Airtel Digital TV Services had 1.6 crore subscribers in the immediate trailing quarter Q1 2018. The company reported net additions of 181,000 Digital TV subscribers in Q2 2020. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q2 2020 increased to Rs 162 from Rs 157 in the immediate trailing quarter, but was far lower than the Rs 232 in Q2 2019. In US$ terms, the company reported ARPU of $2.3, $2.2 and $3.3 for Q2 2020, Q1 2020 and Q2 2019 respectively. Monthly churn in Q2 2020 was higher at 1.6 percent as compared to 1.0 percent in the immediate trailing quarter Q1 2020 and 1.3 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Bharti Airtel Numbers

    Bharti Airtel consolidated revenues for Q2 2020 at Rs 21,131 crore grew 6.9 percent y-o-y (reported increase of 4.9Percent) on an underlying basis. India revenues for Q2 2020 at Rs 15,361 crore increased by 5.7 y-o-y (reported increase of 3.0percent) on an underlying basis. Mobile revenues witnessed a y-o-y growth of 7.1 percent. Mobile data traffic has nearly doubled to 4,497 PBs in the quarter as compared to 2,478 PBs in the corresponding quarter last year. Mobile 4G data customers increased by 56.9 percent to 10.31 crore from 6.57 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Digital TV revenue witnessed a growth of 17.1 percent y-o-y on an underlying basis (decline of 22.9 percent on reported basis due to reporting changes in DTH pursuant to the new tariff order). Airtel Business has sustained its performance on ay-o-y basis.

    Bharti Airtel’s consolidated EBITDA at Rs 8,936 crore increased 40.9 percent y-o-y. Consolidated EBITDA margin increased by 10.8 percent to 42.3 percent in the quarter as compared to 31.5 percent in the corresponding quarter last year. Consolidated EBIT increased by 85.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,993 crore. Consolidated Net Loss before exceptional items for the quarter was  Rs 1,123 crore. The consolidated net loss after exceptional items for the quarter was Rs 23,045 crore.

    Company Speak

    Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said in a press release, “Despite being a seasonally weak quarter, we witnessed positive revenue growth in Q2 on the back of various initiatives aimed at providing superior differential services through our Thanks platform. We continue to witness strong data traffic growth of approximately 81 percent y-o-y and added about 0.8 crore 4G customers on our network during the quarter. We remain committed to strengthening our network and providing a superior experience to our customers. On the AGR verdict of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, we continue to engage with the government and are evaluating various options available to us. We are hopeful that the government will take a considerate view in this matte given the fragile state of the industry.”

  • Airtel Digital TV numbers up in Q3 2018

    Airtel Digital TV numbers up in Q3 2018

    BENGALURU: Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) Digital TV services segment reported 7.1 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) increase, 3.2 per cent y-o-y increase and 4.5 per cent y-o-y increase in operating revenues, EBITDA and EBIT respectively for the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter, period, under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. The company’s subscriber base increased 7.6 per cent y-o-y to reach 1.5 crore subscribers as on 31 December 2019.

    In the meantime, hit by Mukesh Dhirbhai Amabani’s relentless Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd juggernaut, Airtel’s own numbers have been falling mainly due to the fall in numbers of its mobile services in India. 

    Airtel Digital TV services revenue for the period was Rs 1,033 crore as compared to Rs 964.3 crore for the corresponding year ago period. EBITDA for Q3 2019 was Rs 382.6 crore (37 per cent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 370.8 crore (38.5 per cent of operating margin in Q3 2018. EBIT was Rs 156.8 crore for the quarter under review as compared to Rs 150 crore for the year ago quarter. Please refer to the figure below for the segment’s financial trends

    Airtel has reported increase in its Digital TV subscribers. As mentioned above Airtel Digital TV services subscriber base at the end of Q3 2019 stood at 1.5 crore, up 7.6 per cent y-o-y from 1.3937 crore in Q3 2018, and up 1.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) from 1.4779 crore in Q2 2019. Subscriber churn per month in the quarter was same as the previous quarter at 1.3 per cent. In the year ago quarter Q3 2018, subscriber churn was 1.2 per cent. Please refer to the figure below for Airtel Digital TV subscriber trends.

    Average revenue per user for the quarter under review was down by Rs 2 in Q3 2019 at Rs 231 as compared to Rs 233 in Q3 2018 and down by Re 1 as compared to the Rs 232 for the immediate trailing quarter. Please refer to the figure below for Airtel Digital TV ARPU trends.

    Bharti Airtel numbers

    Airtel’s consolidated revenues for Q3 2019 at Rs 20,519 crore grew 1.9 per cent y-o-y (reported increase of 1.0 per cent) on an underlying basis- adjusted for international termination rate reduction.

    India revenues for Q3 2019 at Rs 14,768 crore have declined by 2.3 per cent y-o-y (declined 3.5 per cent on reported) on an underlying basis. Mobile revenues have witnessed a y-o-y de-growth of 4.0 per cent on an underlying basis primarily on account of the sustained pricing pressure in India Mobile segment.

    In a statement, Airtel MD and CEO of India and South Asia Gopal Vittal, MD said, “Our simplified product portfolio and premium content partnerships have played out well during the quarter, translating into one of our highest ever 4G customers additions of 11 million plus. Our mobile data volume continues to expand, with a y-o-y growth of 190 per cent. We have deployed 24K broadband sites during the quarter and remain committed to invest in capacities ahead of the demand curve and provide a superior customer experience. Effective this quarter, we have modified our customer base measurement to represent only transacting and revenue generating customers. “

    In a statement, Airtel’s MD and CEO for Africa’s Raghunath Mandavasaid,
    “Airtel Africa’s Gross Revenue grew by 11.2 per cent on a y-o-y basis. Data traffic grew by 61 per cent, voice minutes increased by 25 per cent and Airtel Money throughput grew by 29 per cent on a y-o-y basis. Consequently, EBITDA margin has expanded by 1.7 per cent y-o-y and stood at 37.2 per cent for the quarter. We continue to further invest in strong LTE network to enhance customer experience and build a competitive advantage.”
     

  • Adarsh Nair appointed chief product officer of Bharti Airtel

    Adarsh Nair appointed chief product officer of Bharti Airtel

    MUMBAI: According to an Economic Times report, Adarsh Nair has been appointed as Bharti Airtel’s new chief product officer (CPO). Before this, Nair was the head, product and growth of US-based trucking start-up Convoy Inc. Now at Bharti Airtel, Nair will report to the company’s CEO Gopal Vittal.

    The CPO position at Bharti Airtel has been vacant since the previous product head Anand Chandrasekharan quit to join Snapdeal three years ago.

    Speaking to ET, a top company executive said that Nair will be “custodian of Bharti Airtel’s digital products and platforms” and work closely with the leadership team and partners to identify and prioritise market opportunities.

    Another top executive at Airtel said that the products head position had now evolved and taken on a much more strategic role. Chiefly, since the telco decided to evolve into a digital company as part of its Airtel 3.0 vision, Airtel would be deploying new age technologies and this is where the products head would come into play.

    With Airtel’s ongoing digital transformation, the CPO leadership position is reviving, said the executive.

  • Airtel steps up home pass expansion in wired broadband biz

    Airtel steps up home pass expansion in wired broadband biz

    MUMBAI: Airtel is taking the bull by its horns. Not wanting to lose out to the latest broadband entrant – Reliance Jio – it has stepped up fibre-to-home passes expansion. While announcing Q1 FY19 results, Airtel did mention that there would be significant step-up of home broadband investment, it has now rolled out almost one million (10 lakh) home passes in the first half of this FY.

    Bharti Airtel MD and CEO India Gopal Vittal said in an earnings call that it is now beginning to see some growth in net additions. “This quarter has been a little bit better than the prior quarter though we saw some ARPU dilution because of the pricing arbitrage that there is and the adjustment as a consequence that we have had to do on the broadband front,” he also added. The ardent urge to have a significant foothold in this market is clear as in the last couple of years it has been rolling out about five to six lakh home passes.

    Recently, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio acquired significant stakes in two large cable operators Hathway and Den Networks. The addressable market for the operator has increased highly leading to a more critical situation for other players. However, Airtel will continue to rollout home-passes aggressively in the second half of the FY to face the tough challenge thrown by its rival. While Airtel has been stepping up its investment in the segment already, it will do the same in the following year too. Notably, Vittal also mentioned the company would be open to look at partnerships to expand home presence through other entities that may have access to the last mile.

    Vittal also added as it is adding a large number of home passes, the company should be stepping up acquisitions also which has already started in Q2. However, he also mentioned the gestation for translating a home pass into a utilised home pass is typically anywhere between three to four years. “It depends on when you got in there, the rate at which the occupancy is moving in a high-rise, which is really where our strategy is focused, on high-rise more than flatbed. So it depends on the occupancy, it depends on when the building gets ready and so on. So on a blended basis, if you look at the utilisations, they should come back to the levels that you normally have on the base over a three-year period,” he explained.

    In its core business, Airtel has made about 7.5 million 4G net additions this quarter, a little lower than the first quarter. The company is adding most of its customers from the top 1000 towns. Though its performance has been poor in rural areas, Vittal is optimistic that it will begin to shift with the network rollout. “If you look at our 4G footprint, that is getting to about 150,000 sites. We added about 25,000 sites in this quarter and as we roll networks out we find that our share of 4G net adds in those particular geographies takes a bump up. There is a direct correlation between the rollouts of our network and the performance in 4G, which is why for example, in markets like Karnataka where we have rolled out much in advance we are getting more than our fair share of 4G net adds,” he said. The company stands at around 21 per cent odd on the EBITDA margins for mobile businesses.

    Every new home the company is passing in the home broadband segment is fibre and the company’s existing digital subscriber line asset has also been upgraded through the vector fiber which was introduced a year ago. India’s fixed line broadband penetration was expected to increase to 10.3 per cent from the present single-digit share by year 2022 as per Singapore-based Media Partners Asia figure. Hence, although Jio could disrupt the market like it did in telecom segment, there are plenty of opportunities for other players too.

  • Bharti Airtel appoints Abhay Savargaonkar as CEO for new fibre company

    Bharti Airtel appoints Abhay Savargaonkar as CEO for new fibre company

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel is forming a new independent fibre company and has appointed chief technology officer Abhay Savargaonkar as the new venture’s chief executive officer, The Economic Times has reported.

    Airtel had made an internal announcement to this effect last week, the report said, adding that Savargaonkar will continue to report to Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal.

    Moreover, the company is also bringing in Randeep Singh Sekhon,  replacing Savargaonkar, to head the networks department as the new chief of technology for its India and South Asia operations. 

    The telco is in the final stages of transferring its optical fibre cable network to  Telesonic Networks Ltd, by way of a slump sale. According to experts, Airtel has to sell a good amount of stake in order to form the new company.

  • ZEEL enters into content partnership with Airtel

    ZEEL enters into content partnership with Airtel

    MUMBAI: Days after Bharti Airtel (Airtel) decided to cut ties with Reliance Jio, it has entered into a content partnership with ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). The two companies will work closely to curate innovative and highly compelling digital video content solutions for customers across the country.

    Under the partnership, video content produced by ZEEL, including TV shows, original series and movies will be available exclusively on Airtel’s digital properties like Airtel TV, in addition to ZEE’s home-grown digital venture ZEE5. Moreover, the ZEE5 app will be bundled into the Airtel TV app, allowing customers to get its content for free.  

    The companies will also drive joint development and marketing of innovative content solutions for the Indian market and collaborate in areas such as digital advertising. There will be a strong focus on curating regional content also keeping in mind ZEEL’s strong regional portfolio.

    “Our endeavour is to build a world-class content ecosystem by partnering all players and enable a differentiated digital entertainment experience for our customers. In Airtel TV, we have built a solid digital platform to curate top content from India and across the world and offer it to customers at one place. We are extremely pleased to announce this exclusive partnership with ZEE and look forward to collaborating with them to unlock the potential of their vast content catalogue,” Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said.

    Recently, ZEE severed its content tie-up with Jio. The former removed all its content from Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio, including 35 live TV channels and more than 2 lakh hours of video-on-demand content. According to reports, it happened due to the failure to arrive at an agreement on price.  

    However, the deal can boost Airtel also which is gradually losing its hold in the telecom industry after Jio’s entry. Reliance is already in a better position as it holds stakes in production companies like Eros International, Balaji Telefilms and Roy Kapur Films.

    “As a media & entertainment powerhouse, keeping our consumers at the epicenter of our approach, we aim to be present across every platform which they wish to access and our alliance with Airtel as their lead content partner, is a firm and positive step in this direction. We look forward to this partnership, which will enable us to entertain the customers of Airtel through our thoughtfully curated content offering, leveraging our expertise in content and data. In line with our larger aim for ZEE5, to be a number one entertainment OTT player in the country, this alliance further compliments the access to our content for the overall digital consumers,” ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka commented.

  • Airtel Digital TV numbers up

    Airtel Digital TV numbers up

    BENGALURU: Indian telecom player Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) reported 9.5 per cent and 10.7 per cent growth in operating revenue for its Airtel Digital TV Services (Airtel DTH) for the year and quarter ended 31 March 2018 (FY 2017-18; Q4 2017-18), respectively, as compared with the corresponding year ago periods. Airtel DTH’s operating revenue in FY 2017-18 was Rs 3,757 crore while in FY 2016-17 it was Rs 3,430.6 crore. Operating revenue in Q4 2017-18 was Rs 958.5 crore and in Q4 2016-17 it was Rs 865.7 crore.

    The company reported improved EBIDTA for both FY 2017-18 and Q4 2017-18. EBIDTA in FY 2017-18 increased by 16.4 per cent to Rs 1,422.6 crore (37.9 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 1,221.9 crore (35.6 per cent of operating revenue). EBIDTA for the quarter rose by 17.4 per cent to Rs 370.1 crore (38.6 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 315.3 crore (36.4 per cent of operating revenue) in the previous year.

    The company has increased its capital expenditure (capex) in FY 2017-18 as compared with the previous year. Total capex increased by 19.4 per cent to Rs 1,027.7 crore from Rs 860.8 crore in the previous year. Cumulative investment in FY 2017-18 was Rs 8,005.7 crore as compared with Rs 7,351.3 crore in FY 2016-17. Capex in Q4 2017-18 increased 48.9 per cent to Rs 206.4 crore as against Rs 138.6 crore in Q4 2016-17.

    Subscriber details

    Airtel reported 14.168 million Airtel DTH subscribers at the end of FY 2017-18. Quarter-on-quarter, its subscribers increased by 0.23 million. The company had reported 12.815 million subscribers at end of Q4 2016-17. Average revenue per user or ARPU for the quarter was Rs 228, the same as in Q4 2016-17, but declined from Rs 233 in the immediate trailing quarter. Monthly churn in Q4 2017-18 was lower at 1.1 per cent as compared with 1.2 per cent in Q4 2016-17 and Q3 2017-18.

    Airtel numbers

    Airtel’s annual consolidated revenue for FY 2017-18 at Rs 83,688 crore declined by 9.8 per cent over the previous year (reported drop of 12.3 per cent) on an underlying basis, led by decline of 11.7 per cent in India. Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 30,448 crore reflects an EBITDA margin of 36.4 per cent as compared with 37.3 per cent in previous year.

    Airtel’s consolidated revenue for Q4 2017-18 at Rs 19,634 crore declined by 5.4 per cent year-over-year (yoy) (reported drop of 10.5 per cent) on an underlying basis. India revenue for the quarter was Rs 14,796 crore shrunk by 7.5 per cent yoy (13.1 per cent on reported) on an underlying basis. Yoy decline was primarily caused by mobile drop of 13.5 per cent says the company. Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 7,034 crore declined 12.0 per cent yoy. Consolidated EBITDA margin decreased by 0.6 per cent to 35.8 per cent in the quarter as against 36.4 per cent.

    Airtel India and South Asia MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said, “The telecom industry continues to witness below cost, artificially suppressed pricing. Industry revenues were further adversely impacted this quarter due to the reduction in international termination rates. Our strategic investments in data capacities, innovative digital content through Airtel TV, customer friendly bundles and upgrade programs led to the highest-ever mobile data customer additions of 15 million during the quarter. Usage parameters remained robust on a yoy basis; we saw data and voice traffic grow 584 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. In line with our goal of building market-leading 4G networks, with best-in-class speeds and capacity; while supporting the digital India initiative, we have ended the financial year with our highest ever capital expenditure of Rs 240 billion. We intend to continue the rollout momentum next year as well.”

    Also Read :

    Airtel Digital TV revenue, PAT and EBITDA up in Q3 2018

    Airtel Digital TV revenues, op profits rise in Q2 FY 2018

    Airtel Digital TV sub base expands, even as ARPUs dip

  • Airtel CEO Vittal heads IndIAA Awards jury

    MUMBAI: The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has released a list of initial confirmations of jury members for the third edition of their IndIAA awards which would be presented in Mumbai on 8 September at the St. Regis Hotel, Mumbai.

    The high profile jury members who will judge what has been positioned as “the awards for real, hardworking advertising, backed by real budgets” are:

    Gopal Vittal, CEO Bharti Airtel – Chairman

    Members:
    Sunil Duggal, CEO, Dabur India
    Suresh Narayanan, CMD, Nestle India
    Shikha Sharma, MD & CEO, Axis Bank
    Sunil Kataria, Business Head, India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products and President, ISA
    Nitish Kapoor, SVP Regional Director South Asia & Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser India
    Sanjeev Bikchandani, Founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Info Edge

    IndIAA Awards Committee chairman Pradeep Guha said: “Any award is only as good as the jury who judges it, and I am very pleased to announce such a stellar list of names. These are people who have judged advertising every day and are best suited to decide on the merit of real work.”

    IAA India Chapter president Neeraj Roy said: “We all recognise the importance of real advertising that is created following a brief, and which has passed through the rigor of client approval, to address a genuine need in the market. This jury will lend their expertise to pick deserving winners, and the teams comprising the CMO/Brand Managers, the agencies behind creating the work and placing them on media, will together go up on stage to collect the Awards.”

    IAA Global SVP & president-elect Srinivasan Swamy said, “The jury’s stature and their commitment will reflect very positively on the results that will be declared. I am pleased to hear that Mathrubhumi has come forward as the Title Partner for the second year in succession.”

    Mathrubhumi JMD M V Shreyams Kumar said: “Being in the news space, credibility is very important to us. Awarding real advertising therefore appealed to us. The announcement of such a distinguished jury only adds to that credibility factor.”